Judy Blume/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. A reptile tank is sitting on a shelf. Tim enters singing to the tune of "Eye of the Tiger". TIM: Time for... feeding the turtle, it's the thrill of one bite... feeding brown little pellets to your rep-tiiiile.... Tim looks into the tank but he doesn't see the turtle. TIM: Hey, where's Tibby? (Moby walks over to the tank.) Moby, have you seen my turtle? MOBY: Beep. TIM: What do you mean, he's in a better place? MOBY: Beep. Moby looks down. His chest opens up and Tibby the turtle is in a tank inside Moby’s chest. TIM: Hmmm, it does look kind of nice in there. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, I have to read a book by Judy Blume for school. Can you tell me more about her? Sincerely, Hayley. Well, Judy Blume is one of the most famous children's authors in America! An image shows Judy Blume. TIM: Since the late 1960s, she's published more than 25 books and sold more than 75 million copies. An image shows some of her books including "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret". TIM: Blume has written for all ages, but her most popular works are novels for and about kids. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, you know; growing up can be kind of tough, and adults don't always remember how difficult it is; but Judy Blume has always taken kids' problems seriously and handled them with sympathy and humor. Take one of her first books, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. An image shows this book. TIM: It's written in the voice of a 12-year-old girl who has quite a few problems. Margaret is starting sixth grade in a new town, and she worries about fitting in. She worries about faith, since her mom is Christian and her dad is Jewish. And she's just starting puberty, so she's concerned that she might be maturing more slowly than the other girls in her grade. Images show Margaret, a school, a Christian cross and a Jewish star, and a pink bra. MOBY: Beep! Moby giggles. TIM: Well, actually, the book is pretty funny. But it deals with some important stuff in a way that's not too serious or preachy. I mean, before Judy Blume came along, if you wanted to read about puberty, all you'd have is something like this. An image shows a pamphlet written by a doctor titled, "Why Do I Feel So Tingly?" The cover shows a girl talking to a doctor. TIM: Older books about growing up didn't have realistic characters, and they usually lectured kids instead of sympathizing with them. That's why Blume's books, like Deenie''and ''Superfudge have remained popular, even though they were written in the 1970s! Side by side images show a girl reading "Deenie" in the 1970s and a girl reading the same book in current times. MOBY: Beep. TIM: In fact, her books tackle a variety of important issues. Like Blubber deals with bullying. And It's Not the End of the World is about divorce. Side by side images show a girl bullying another girl and a sad girl hearing her parents arguing. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Actually, most of her ideas have come from her own life! Judy Blume was born in 1938 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A U.S. map shows Elizabeth, New Jersey. TIM: She had a pretty normal childhood; her dad was a dentist, and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. As a girl, Judy made up stories in her head, but she never wrote them down. An image shows Judy reading a book. TIM: In fact, she didn't start writing until the late 1960s; when she was married with two young children of her own! An image shows Judy writing on her typewriter and her two children. TIM: So she often combined her own childhood experiences with the problems her kids and their classmates were going through. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Well, actually, not everybody likes her books. Some adults feel that they're inappropriate for young kids. Over the years, certain parent and teacher groups have tried to ban Judy Blume books from school libraries! An animation shows a sign with Judy’s photo on it and a sign showing characters from her book, Superfudge. Both signs have red cross out symbols over them. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, parents have the right to decide what books, movies, and TV shows are appropriate for their own kids. But removing books from a library means that nobody can read them. That's called censorship, and it's a controversial practice. Judy Blume herself has been speaking out against it for decades! An image shows Judy Blume speaking at a podium. A banner for the National Coalition Against Censorship hangs behind her. TIM: She served on the board of the National Coalition Against Censorship, and has even edited a collection of stories by censored writers. An image shows the cover of ''Places I Never Meant to Be: Original Stories by Censored Writers edited by Judy Blume.'' MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, today, she lives with her husband on the East Coast, and she's still writing and speaking at engagements all over the country! Now, um, can I have my turtle back? Moby shakes his head no. TIM: Can I at least feed him? Moby shakes his head no. Moby opens his ear flap and inserts turtle food into his ear. It falls into the turtle’s tank. TIM: Um. Okay, fine. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts Category:BrainPOP English Transcripts